Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding takes the ice before game two of a Western Conference quarterfinal game of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at United Center in Chicago on Friday, May 3, 2013.
(Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin)

I asked Jacques Lemaire once why a particular player was out of the Wild lineup.

“Hurt,” he said.

Upper body or lower body?

“Lower.”

Right side or left?

“Depends on which way he’s facing.”

Lemaire cackled. He loved trying to outsmart people.

What if he’s lying down, I asked Lemaire.

“On his back?”

Well, this cat-and-mouse game went on for quite a while. In the end, I didn’t know any more than when I started. Years later, injuries are kept even more hush-hush. As near as I can tell, about half a dozen Wild players have lower-body injuries and are listed as day-to-day — and that includes just about every goaltender between here and Houston.

Mike Yeo, what about Nik Backstrom?

“No update.”

And Harding?

“Haven’t spoken to the trainer.”

Well what about …?

“Day-to-day.”

But didn’t we just see him airlifted by helicopter to the nearest hospital?

“No update.”

It’s all very grim, and these goalie mishaps have resulted in a very dark cloud hanging over the Wild. But just remember that even though it feels like it’s over, it isn’t. Just because it feels like we should be performing the post-mortem on a mediocre season, we really shouldn’t.

Despite all the goaltender woes, an 0-for-15 power play and a game-to-game approach that can best be termed inconsistent, the Wild still are in this series. They aren’t getting trampled by the best team in hockey. Granted, they looked beaten in the dressing room after Game 4 on Tuesday night, May 8, but they still have time.

And short of declining all penalties and refusing to go on the power play, all options should be on the table. There’s no mystery involved. The Wild need to boost their power play, get back to playing with a nasty attitude and return to that gooey, sticky brand of hockey that appears to suit them.

There are only so many adjustments a coach can make to a power play before he trucks in a whole new group of participants. I’m assuming Yeo’s made them. That whole top power-play unit remains unsightly. All those nifty little passes in the zone, the extended time of possession, the traffic near the crease … none of it matters if you can’t put the shot on net. And suddenly the Wild are misfiring to the point where they pose a danger to the arena organist.

The Wild’s best forwards all series have been Matt Cullen, Devin Setoguchi and Jason Zucker. Those boys ought to be getting the bulk of the power-play time. They should be the first ones over the boards.

But strategy only goes so far. Unless the Game 4 pregame speech was a real downer, the coaches can’t be blamed for the Wild turning from mean to mellow. Unless there was some sort of motivational blunder, the coaches can’t be held responsible for the absence of desperation and fire in Game 4. I’m sure the coaches preached it. Yet the Wild apparently decided among themselves to play non-contact Eurohockey.

Captain Mikko Koivu needs to lead the way. I know Mikko isn’t a big talker because, well, I’ve tried talking to him. But his performance has been subpar. That whole first line has been abysmal. And if there is any sort of favorable matchup against a certain Chicago line, Yeo hasn’t been able to find it. Now he won’t get that chance in Chicago because Joel Quenneville will make sure his top line is out there against the Koivu line.

That hasn’t been good for Minnesota.

So it looks bad for the Wild and it feels worse. Yet if they can get this game in Chicago and force a Game 6 at Xcel, everything could change. They’ll see the Blackhawks start to tighten up. People will raise an eyebrow and wonder why the team with the best record is fiddling with the Wild for so long. What’s the problem? It can all turn in a jiffy.

The Blackhawks reacted well after getting knocked around in Game 3. They adjusted their positioning and flipped the puck around quickly, giving the Wild fewer targets. Now it’s the Wild’s turn to counter with an adjustment to their forecheck. The difference between winning and losing is very small here.

The Wild have to mix it up on the power play, hit at every opportunity, get angry, and generally gum up the works. The series doesn’t have to be over. It might seem like we’re nearing the end, but that doesn’t have to be the reality of the situation.

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